Feb. 28, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Winston-Salem State University women's basketball team's streak of 751 straight days without back-to-back victories ended on Saturday afternoon as the Lady Rams downed the Lady Rattlers of Florida A&M University 69-64 at the Joel Coliseum in MEAC women's basketball action.
The Lady Rams, a team that had not won consecutive games since defeating Morgan State (71-66 on Feb. 3, 2007) and Bethune-Cookman (49-44 on Feb. 8, 2007) back-to-back during the 2006-07 season posted their second straight victory despite losing leading scorer MaLisa Bumpus less than six minutes into the game with what looks to be a season-ending knee injury.
Bumpus, a redshirt sophomore guard that leads the Lady Rams in scoring at over 12 points per game was lost only 5:36 into the contest when she twisted her left knee after pulling down a rebound on a FAMU missed free throw.
Despite the injury to Bumpus, the Lady Rams saw four players step up with double-digit scoring performances en route to the victory as reserve guard Nikki Kee turned in a career-high 20 points as the sophomore from Greensboro, N.C. (Dudley HS) hit seven of her 14 field goal attempts in 28 minutes of work for the Lady Rams.
Kee was joined in double figures by Keoshia Worthy who tallied 16 points and a career-high-tying nine rebounds in the victory. Vontisha Woods recorded 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in the contest and Rene Rector added 13 points and four assists as well.
Utilizing an aggressive defense, the Lady Rams forced 23 Florida A&M turnovers which they converted into 25 points as WSSU benefitted from 10 fast break points and got 20 points from their bench, all 20 coming courtesy of Nikki Kee.
Kee's offensive spark, coupled with the presence of Vontisha Woods and Keoshia Workty on the glass, as the pair of players pulled down 22 total rebounds, enabled the Lady Rams to outscore the Lady Rattlers 43-32 in the game's final 20 minutes of play as WSSU secured their first two-game win streak in over two full calendar years.
The victory improves the Lady Rams to 5-22 overall while the loss drops Florida A&M to 11-15 on the season (6-8 MEAC).
Winston-Salem State University returns to action on Monday, March 2, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. as they play host to Bethune-Cookman University at the Joel Coliseum.
For additional information on WSSU women's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at WSSURams.com.
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